The Death of Handwriting: Should We Fight It or Embrace It?

11 Nov The Death of Handwriting: Should We Fight It or Embrace It?

A poll of 1,000 teens by stationery company BIC has revealed that a quarter of teenagers aged 13-19 (26%) have never written a birthday or Christmas card, 49% have never written a thank you letter, and 83% have never written a love letter.

In place of writing, teenagers favoured texting, social media messaging and typing notes directly into their phones and other electronic devices but conceding that text messages and instant messaging had a negative impact with 21% admitting it makes their spelling worse.

Should we fight this trend or embrace it?

To try to counteract the downward trend in hand writing, BIC launched #JustWrite Day on October 29. It involved a series of events across the UK aimed at encouraging people of all ages to pick up a pen and start writing.

“Handwriting is one of the most creative outlets we have and should be given the same importance as other art forms, such as sketching, painting or photography,” states Jonathan Skyrme, general manager at BIC UK & ROI.

“We need to be doing more to encourage youngsters to put pen to paper, which is exactly why we’ve launched our #JustWrite campaign in partnership with Melanie Harwood at Start-Bee.”

Melanie Harwood, Start-Bee’s Founder, said: “BIC’s study has shown that 19% of teenagers don’t pick up a pen more often than once every couple of months outside of school or college – an alarming statistic when you consider that handwriting, not typing, is a skill that is fundamental to unlocking a person’s potential in life. Alongside reading and maths, writing is one of the three key skills everyone needs to master if they are to cope in the adult world, which is exactly why BIC’s #JustWrite campaign is so important.”

Whilst writing is a fundamental skill in today’s society, it is clear that the rise of IT proficiency is equally important. Teenagers are often required to use IT and the internet to complete studies, homework and assignment and digital technology gives students the freedom to learn without restrictions.

Gareth Tomlin, Technical Director at KBR WiFi, said: “Building skills in IT is critical to the ongoing development of children. Changes to the national curriculum for computing programs require schools to equip their pupils with the high-quality technology needed to become digitally literate. This involves them being able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through information and technology.”

“It is important to teach children how to write, but it’s equally important to teach them how to make the most out of modern technology. At KBR, we pride ourselves on helping children to attain key stage targets, by providing schools with reliable WiFi networks built on a robust network infrastructure.”

The research was conducted among 1000 13-19 year olds across the UK by Mortar London on behalf of BIC UK & ROI during the summer.

About KBR:

KBR has more than 30 years’ experience successfully planning, installing and supporting bespoke networks for schools. To speak to one of our team about upgrading your Wi-Fi or how Wi-Fi can help your school, contact us on 0191 492 1492, or email info@kbr.co.uk.